Continuous picture taking is very convenient in the field of sports and the like since the position of a subject at various times can be recorded as still images. Continuous picture taking with a single lens reflex camera is made possible by attaching a motor drive unit to the camera body, the motor drive unit winding a photographic film one frame after another at a high speed. Continuous taking using a motor drive unit has a film transport speed limit of about five frames per second for feeding photographic film in the case of an original frame (36.times.24 mm) of 35 mm type full size.
In such known cameras, not only does the operation of the film advancing mechanism and shutter unit generate loud noises, but also a mechanism is necessary for synchronizing film advance with shutter release, resulting in a complicated structure and high cost.
Furthermore, since five frames are used for each continuous taking, the consumption of photographic film is great, and so the number of continuous takings per roll of film is small. Still further, photographic paper is cut into separate photoprints of original frames so that even in the case of continuously taken scenes, the photoprints are required to be positioned in the order of taking, when they are observed.
In panoramic photography, an image is taken with a wide angle lens on a laterally elongated panoramic size original frame (36.times.13.7.+-.0.4 mm) defined by light-shielding the upper and lower sides of an original frame (36.times.24 mm) of 35 mm full size. This panoramic size original frame is printed as a photoprint of panoramic size (254.times.89 mm) corresponding to the size of two consecutive photoprints of L size (127.times.89 mm).